[QUOTE]Originally posted by Y2KMaxGXE-R

Quote:

dude, think of it, chicks will not look in your car's wheelwell to see if you got 255 or 235 etc. Go to ww.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
that way you wont be guessing the correct tire size. With 255 you're prolly looking at 30.

What I meant by all show, is that I don't mind the gas mileage or reduced accelaration, but for personal choice I would like a wide tire. According to the calc. I will be off by 1.2 miles per hour or 2.1%... http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...+Pole+Position
doesnt this basically say that a 255/45-18 can fit on a wheel that is 8-9.5"? I don't know if I am reading it wrong

 

...Dude, I hate to burst your bubble, but going from 245/40r18 to 255/45r18 is a change of over 5%! Also, even going back to stock 225/50r17 a change up to 255/45r18 is over 5% bigger... That is a change of almost 4mph off. Damn. Thats a lot. Use this link to see what I am saying. I would go with the 255/40r18 at the MOST...http://www.askjeeves.com/main/metaAn...ize+calculator

 

sorry, bad link... tire calculator

 

Damn! Screw it, the link is too long, just trust me, 5% more is too much rubber.

 

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I did this but maybe I am doing it wrong. What was the stcok tire? 205/65-16? If it was then when I enter that and then put in the new tire size 255/45-18 it tells me that there is the 2.1% error. Maybe I am doing something wrong.

 

...I pulled up two stock tire sizes from tirerack.com for the 2000 Maxima GXE. They are 205/65r15 and 215/55r16... Did your car have 15" or 16" wheels on it when you bought it??? Either way it says that 255/45r18 is over 6% larger than either of those two sizes... Think about how much that is gonna throw off your odometer and speedometer... Its your choice but I think you are putting too much rubber in those wheel wells!

 

stock 225/50 17 side wall height 4.43"
overall diameter of the tire 25.86"


255/45 18 side wall height 4.52"
overall diameter of the tire 27.03


the difference is 1.17 inches; a tire that is 255/45 18 is 4.5% larger than stock!

 

...He doesn't have a 2002 SE that is stock for an SE... He has a 2000 GXE his stock tires are more than 6% off of what he wants to put on there (255/45r18)...

 

the 255/45 18 's would be too large. I have a 2000 se with 225/50 17"s and I wouldn't put that large of a tire on my car.

I was thinking about buying 18" wheels, but I'm reconsidering. Is there a way to have a smooth ride on 18"s without messing up the speedo?

 

If your stock tire size is 225/50r17 you need to use an 18"x8" wheel and a 245/40r18 tire, that is an almost prefect match for the stock calibration settings of the speedometer and odometer...

 

245/40-18s are only 0.5% error to the fast side. which is think is better because its safer for it to say you're going faster than you really are than to say you're going slower than you really are (for speeding ticket reasons)

 

I know all the percentages and differences; however, I have only ridden on my stock 225/50 17"s and it feels fine; the roughest car I've ridden in was a lowered civic with 205/40/17"s (there are 2 variables there so I don't know what it would have felt with a stock suspension). I want opinions on ride comfort; cwally here bought these beautiful wheels and now he want a smoother ride.

Have any of you guys ridden on 18"s that were smooth? If so, what were the specs?

Thanks,
T

 

absolutely. check that link ine earlier post on tire calculator. There's no 100% match however, but you will stay very close. I went from stock 15" plus 3 sizes on my GXE. It all narrows down to your rim width, but you can definetely go to 18" and even 19" without messing up odo/speedo readings.

 

I am surprized all this talk about rubber and no y2kse!

 

I got 18x8 with 245/40/18s and the ride is almost just a smooth as stock 17s. I'm very satisfied. Getting softer tire plays a role in smoothness of the ride too.
I think for cWally the best bet for smoother ride is getting rid of eibachs and gettting H&Rs or maxspeeds.
good luck

 

Nah! Anybody upgrading to 18s or wider who doesn't do their homework first deserves what they get.

I'm more concerned about those poor saps (aka "brave souls" aka "complete idiots") who try to put wide rubber on their OEM rims or who upgrade to new 17s and still purchase 7" wide rims. I know you know what I'm talking about, CIRCO.

 

LOL!

 

...Rubber Po-pos...

(Bad boys bad boys, what ya gonna do???)

 

Nah! Just people with IQs higher than 70!

 

When I first asked the question in the beginning I thought I would ask about ride quality and what not... Its not that I am dissatisfied with my ride quality, but I would like to get a wider and more agressive looking tire I guess. I really like the way it rides and handles now, but I'm not gonna complain if it gets better or if it doesn't When I started with my car I had the 235/40 but I went with a size larger because I had seen flipmode_calis ride and the way the car looked with his tires.I thought it looked nice!

 

Cwally I like the look of your rims!! I was planning on getting the same ones for my car until I found out that they were heavier than the OEM 17x7 rim which comes in at about 23 pounds- (48.5 pounds with the OEM RE92 tire included). I wanted an 18" rim and a 245/40/18 tire which would keep my rolling diameter as close to the stock setup as possible (speedo is off by only 0.5%.... ) I also wanted to keep my unsprung weight as low or lower so I went with a SSR GT1 rim 18x8 (only 19 pounds)and the Bridgestone S-03s... The ride on this setup is almost like stock. Even though I went with a much wider tire than OEM, I was able to lower my unsprung weight by 1.5 pounds- the new combination weighs in at 47 pounds...This is a bigger savings than just 1.5 pounds since we are talking inertia here. So, I would suggest you stick with 245/40s and go with the S-03s............tremendous grip!!!!

 

You know... that is what I am probably gonna do. But it never hurts to ask and get feedback from everyone, and anyone who has had this setup. And thanks for the props!